Zut Alors: Disneyland Paris Under Investigation for Overcharging Germans
The French can have a reputation for being, how do you say, less-than-hospitable to les foreigners. The French at Disneyland Paris are, authorities say, even worse: they’ve allegedly been charging foreigners as much as double the ticket price for the privilege of touring Cinderella’s chateau.
According to the Financial Times, the detested Germans are charged the most—around €2,447, while Brits pay €1,870. Meanwhile, French visitors pay only €1,346.
And it’s tres, tres illegal, if true and could enable the EU to sue France:
Unless companies meet strictly defined criteria, the EU services directive in principle bans forcing consumers to pay more simply because of their nationality or country of residence.
Under EU rules prices can be varied according to nationality if there are objective reasons, such as different market conditions, seasonal fluctuations in demand or different holiday periods. Disneyland Paris says that its promotions in local markets are based on booking patterns and school holidays.
However a Commission “sweep” of Disneyland Paris’ rivals in Europe — including Denmark’s Legoland and Tivoli Gardens and Germany’s Europapark — found that other operators did not vary prices to the same extent
It’s almost like they don’t believe it’s a small world, after all.
